Fractions of a Group

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Another way to think about fractions is to consider a group of items.  The items do not have to be the same size.  For example, in a group of children, we can talk about half of the group.

Here are some examples of how a write a fraction out of a group of items.

The top number (numerator) comes from the number of items you want.

The bottom number (denominator) comes from the total number of items in the group.

There are 2 animals cards and a total of 5 cards.

The fraction we want is 2 out of 5.

There is only 1 plant card and a total of 4 cards.

The fraction we want is 1 out of 4.

There are 2 vehicle cards (the car and the ship) and a total of 6 cards.

The fraction we want is 2 out of 6.

Use common objects to test your child. Let your child test you.  This exercise also helps your child understand how to categorize objects.  The first step is to make sure that the number of items in the group is the same as the number as the denominator of the fraction.

Use 3 items if you want a fraction like two-third.
Use 6 items if you want a fraction like five-sixths.

And so on.

Fun Practice Task Cards

More Questions on Fractions of a Group

  1. I have 10 sweets.  My brother ate 3 sweets and I ate 4.  What fraction of my sweets did we eat altogether?

Think about:

  • What is the total number of sweets (this number becomes the denominator)
  • What is the total number of sweets eaten (this number becomes the numerator)


2.   A group of 8 children attended a party.  3 of them are girls.  What fraction of the children who attended the party are boys?

Think about:

  • What is the total number of children (this number becomes the denominator)
  • How many boys are there (this number becomes the numerator)


3.   Alan bought a cake.  He cut it into 9 equal pieces and ate 2 pieces.  What fraction of the cake is left?

Think about:

  • What is the total number of equal pieces of cake (this number becomes the denominator)
  • What is number of pieces of cake not eaten (this number becomes the numerator)


4.  I have 2 pencils.  My sister has 5 pencils.  What fraction of my sister's pencils are my pencils? 

Think about:

  • We are comparing my pencils to my sister's pencils
  • My sister's number of pencils is the total (this number becomes the denominator)
  • My number of pencils becomes the numerator


5.   Sam has five-sixths as many sweets as Caitlin.  Who has more sweets?

Think about:

  • Sam's number of sweets are being compared to Caitlin's sweets so Caitlin's number of sweets is the denominator (6 sweets)
  • Sam's number of sweets is the numerator (5 sweets)